Archive of Talks

Most people see impermanence as an unfortunate fact that we must deal with; or, when things are difficult, on the contrary, we might be grateful to think the situation will inevitably change.  From the Dharmic point of view, however, both these attitudes fail to grasp the rich value of a true understanding of anicca, impermanence, perpetual… Read more

Consumerism, the “never enough” ideology, body image – how does living within a culture that highly values these concepts shape our thoughts and minds? Do we propagate them ourselves unintentionally? Are we doing this “life” thing right? Don S. guided our Sangha this week on the sense of “lack” in our practice, drawing on a talk by Brian… Read more

It has been said that there is no such thing as an exceptionally creative human; all humans are exceptional because it is our nature to be creative.  If there is truth in this, is it surprising that the Buddha taught little to  nothing about art or creativity?   How do we consider art and the creative… Read more

Many of us tend to think of the mind and the body as mostly separate phenomena. Of course we know they’re connected and depend on one another but in most practical situations we are dealing with either “my mind” or “my body”, not both together. In fact, when we’re overly tired or hungry and the… Read more

As we emerge from this global pandemic, we will have the opportunity to encounter people that we may find challenging.  Now it’s time to put our meditation practice to work.  We can draw upon the teachings of Wise Speech to deepen and to steady these encounters.  Drawing on a talk by Donald Rothberg, Lorlilee guided… Read more

Minds think. Sometimes minds think a little too much. Sometimes minds think a lot too much. The mind can get lost in a loop which affects our behavior and our relationships. One potential path leads to anxiety. Anxiety differs from fear in that is tends to be generalized. Fear is fear of something. Anxiety is more… Read more